Dear Blog,
I’m sorry to have been
gone from you for such a long time. You know what’s been going
on…I’ve longed to post about the things going on in my life, but have
felt at some point or another that it would be too bland (whoo- working
a 9-5! married life is good!) or too inflammatory (whaa!-hate my job/boss/life) or simply not
adventurous enough. Which is silly of course because the concept of
this blog is that life IS as a whole a series of small adventures. Took
me awhile to remember that.
So, here we go!
I just got
back from a rather thrilling adventure in Colorado, going snowboarding
for the first time. But I’ll post about that later, after I have
pictures and the bruising from my tailbone has faded enough to let
non-painful memories surface.
INSTEAD, I want to relate my love
of Whole Foods and the adventure of shopping there. See, I live in
Tulsa, OK- a small patch of political ‘blue’ in a sea of ‘red’ states
known as the Southwest. And the mere fact that there IS a Whole Foods
in Tulsa is sort of a miracle. Add to it the fact that its the only one
in the state AND that it is 4 blocks from my home, makes it a luminous,
glowing beckoning miracle of a grocery store.
I freaking love shopping at Whole Foods- its faux-wooden floors and vaguely woodsey smell is so much nicer than
the harsh fluorescent lighting and glaring white laminate of the Food Pyramid (excellent music selection nothwithstanding) around the corner. And the food…ah the food. I have no qualms
about scooping up a box ‘all-natural’ mini chocolate chip cookies at
$4.79 where I would otherwise note even allow myself down the ‘crackers and cookies’ aisle at a conventional grocery store. Its weird. I know in my head that not everything on the shelves is “healthy” per se, it does seem easier to eat healthfully when ever other option IS “whole grain” this or “glueten free” that, rather than having to make a special trip to the “organic” section, set apart from the rest of the store and marked way way up. You know what I’m talking about.
Back to the food: the cheese selection is amazing and I love nothing more than a good
cheese, with the right cracker of course. And they do of course have
the perfect cracker, the 365 Organic (house brand) Entertainment
Cracker. Its big enough to load up, but not too big to stuff in your
mouth in one go. The only thing missing is of course a nice wine, but
due to stupid, archaic Okie alcohol laws, no wine is to be had
alongside the cheeses. Have to go down the el liquor store for that.
Finally,
I’m convinced that the hot bar at Whole Foods has healing properties.
Anytime I’m feeling peckish, I go load up on organic mac & cheese,
a little salad, and a helping of roast chicken and within hours, I’m
feeling better. Nevermind that it’s the most expense to-go lunch you
can find in Mid-town…
…speaking of, the adventure of PAYING
for all of my organic treasures, though, is…something else
altogether. My personal-cheffing Mama didn’t call it Whole Paycheck for
nothing. But still, as I investigate the world of eating locally,
ethically and yes, organically, Whole Foods seems an invitation to
explore. And exploration, as we know, leads to adventure.